


Rainy Sunday

by orphan_account



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, And I'm not taking credit for any of the songs in this fic, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Band Fic, Bass Patton, Drums Roman, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I promise, I'm not stealing, Keyboard Logan, M/M, Multi, Or changed - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PolySides (CALM/LAMP), Singer Virgil, i try so hard, thanks :), they aren't mine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23535880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Virgil has always loved to sing, but was always to afraid to, ya know, actually do it. Until a cute boy catches him singing in the band room one day. He's dragged into a band, of three other boys, all too pretty for their own good. And Virgil doesn't know if he can even sing in front of them, much less a crowd. But everything is worth trying, or at least that's what his brother Thomas says. Perhaps this will be his chance to shine, and make some friends. Or, something more.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil & Creativity | Roman & Logic | Logan & Morality | Patton, Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton
Comments: 13
Kudos: 63





	1. Getting the Band Together

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi! All the songs in this fic are not in fact written by me. None of them are. I am not taking credit for the songs, I'm just using them for plot development as charachter-written songs. But feel free to tell me if you'd like some songs I actually wrote (no video though, nice try, scoundrels). I'll leave all the songs in the notes at the bottom, along with their creators, and a link to a cover of the original, whatever I think fits the scene they are featured in the most. So don't attack me, and enjoy this fluffy fic!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil joins a band? No, that's not like him, is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Polysides Band AU, hope u like :)

Virgil was having a pretty good day. He had writtten a song this morning that he couldn't _wait_ to try out during lunch, and that meant he could bring his ukelele to school, which _always_ made his day better. _And_ he saw a pretty boy on the bus this morning. Over all, a pretty great start, if he did say so himself. And he was _so excited_ to see who would be signing up for Battle of the Bands. It was probably the thing he most looked forward to every year, because he got to see all the new bands he would _definately_ fall inlove with by the time next year's BotB rolled around. Plus, free concert. Who was he to pass that up?

So he nearly died from boredom in Biology so he wouldn't have to sit through a lunch detention and practically _raced_ to the bandroom, being careful to leave the door stopper barely in the seam of the door, so it wouldn't _technically_ be closed, but it would be close enough so that he wouldn't alert anyone that he was inside. He pulled a chair up to a spare music stand and set his phone down on it, opening up the notepad full of lyrics and letting it rest, open on his newst work. 

_"All that I want is to wake up fine, tell me that I'm alright, that I ain't gonna die."_ He strummed at the chords lightly, fumbling at the faster parts just a bit, before making his way to the chorus. _"Hard times, gonna make you wonder why you even try. Hard times, gonna take you down and laugh when you cry. These lives, and I still don't know how I even survive- hard times, hard times."_ He let out a shaky breath and shook out his hands, ready to go to the second verse, when someone started clapping by the door. He whipped around and was faced with the pretty boy from this morning. His cardigan was still tied around his neck, which was still odd, and his glassed where scrunched up near his eyes with the big smile that split his face. 

"That was incredible!" He marveled, running up to Virgil, waving his hands. "Did you write that?" Virgil gaped for a minute, his throat closing up, and nodded meakly. The boy's smile just grew, and he _squealed,_ flapping his hands wildly. "I _loved_ it, it was _so good!_ Are you in a band? You totally should be!" Virgil swallowed and got up from the seat, grabbing his phone. 

"I- uh- How- How did you know I was- I was down here?"

"Oh! Right!" The boy pulled _Virgil's pencil case_ out of his back pocket. "You left this in the class room and I followed you down. So, are you? In a band, I mean." 

"N-no. No, I'm not. And I can't sing anyway. Um, I'm gonna- I'm gonna go, so-"

"You can _so_ sing!" the boy protested. "You were amazing! Your voice is so pretty!" Virgil felt his face flush. 

"Look, uh- dude, thanks, but I don't really do, uh, crowds. I don't do _people._ And I don't sing. So, if I can just-"

"I'm Patton, Heart. Patton Heart," the boy said, holding out his hand. Suddenly, he gasped, his hands flying around again before Virgil got a chance to shake it. "Oh my god! I just had a totally great idea! What if _we_ started a band!" He gasped again and grabbed Virgil's hands, squeezing them hard. "I play bass, I can play backup! And you'd _totally_ be the lead singer. That would be so awesome!" He giggled and Virgil felt his heart skip a little, becuase _damn he was too cute,_ but he felt his hands start to shake at just the _thought_ of being on stage. 

"I don't think that's really my- uh- _thing,_ Patton." He swallowed and gently removed his hands from Patton's grasp, even if his heart was screaming at him not to. "I appreciate you being n-nice to me, but I really should- should _go."_ Patton's face fell, and Virgil _almost_ caved, begging to be in his little band, but his anxiety _far_ outweighed the notion. 

"At least take my- uh- my number..." He drawled, scrambling to pull a sharpie from his back pocket, bright purple. He grabbed Virgil's arm and scrawled his phone number onto Virgil's wrist. "Call me, becuase I think it would be _mad cool_ if we started a band. And I think you're amazing." Virgil felt his skin go hot and he just nodde, his mercy coming with the ring of the bell to signal the next period. He scrambled out of the band room and rushed to his next class, leaving Patton behind, a hopeful look on his face. He spent the rest of the day staring at those purple numbers on his wrist. He stared at them, terrified out of his mind. He got home and did his homework, staring at the numbers now dialed into his phone, saved as _Patton <3\. _And, before he could immediately regret it, he texted, _I'm in._ He was _definately_ gonna regret this, but it would at least make Patton smile. 

-/\\-/\\-/\\-

The next day, as Patton had told him to, he headed to the band room after school, ukelele in hand. There, Patton was waiting, with two other boys who were both _devastatingly cute._ One wore glasses much like Patton, but was wearing a stuffy button-up shirt, tie sinched close to his throat. He cracked his knukles over and over again, shaking them out every so often, rolling his wrists to crack them too, before starting on his fingers again. The other wore a garish varsity jacket, twirling drumsticks in his hands. He saw Virgil and flashed a cocky smile, standing to offer his hand. 

" _He-_ llo!" He called, giving Virgil a blatant once-over. "And who might _you_ be?" Virgil could feel himself blush, and he knew he was screwed. 

"I-I'm V-V-V-" he swallowed and looked down at his shoes, trying desperately to choke his name out. The guy just cocked an eyebrow for a minute, and then grinned wider. 

"We'll just stick with Vee then!" Pattoin rolled his eyes and dragged a guitar out of a case, propping it up next to his bass guitar. 

"His name is Virgil, and he's _shy_ Roman, don't be too much." Roman, apparently the boy speaking to Virgil, just waggled his eyebrows at Patton. 

"I'm _always_ too much." He flashed that grin again. "Yet, they always seem to want more." The other boy in glasses scoffed. 

" _Pansexuals,"_ he muttered, before standing and offereing his hand to Virgil. "I'm Logan Sagace, and _that_ was Roman Ardient. he's alot, and we apologize for any flirting in the future."

"It's fine," Virgil rushed to say, before realizing how flirtatious _that_ had sounded and he stuttered to make up something to cover, only to be interrupted by Roman's laughter. "I-I'm sorry, I'm Virgil S-S-Sanders. Sanders. Uh, you probably know Thomas, my-"

"Brother, right?" Logan asked. Virgil just nodded. Logan nodded once and clapped his hands together. "So, Patton, what's this all about?" Patton grinned and dragged a mic stand to the front of the room, facing the oard, where he had drawn a little crowd with expo markers. 

"I found a singer! You guys always said if I found someone who could sing, we'd start a band!" Suddenly Roman lost that cocky little grin of his. 

"Pat, that was like sixth grade," he reminded the boy in blue. "You can't be serious." 

"Let him play," Logan offered. Roman turned to face him, an inquisistive look on his face, and Logan huffed, like he had gotten used to explaining everything, but was vastly tired of it. "HE can play for us, and if he's good, let's do it. We only get high school once, Ro, might as well live it up." He sounded a bit sarcastic at the end, like he was repeating something Roman had said once, and Roman blushed like he remembered saying it. 

"Fine." He faced Virgil again and shoved a stool at him. "Play for us, Hot Topic, and we'll figure out of this band is a good decision or not." 

Virgil shuffled over to the stool and climbed up on it, pulling his ukelele out of it's case and resting it in his arms. He swallowed a couple times, feeling the sweat start to bead up on his face. He took a couple deep breaths, but it was hardly working to calm him down. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. He whipped his head up to see Patton standing next to him, a concerned look on his face. 

"You okay, bud?" he asked gently. Virgil nodde quickly, then paused and shook his head just as fast. Patton gave him a small, comforting smile. "You got this, just close your eyes and play, it'll be just fine." Virgil nodded again and closed his eyes like Patton had said. He took a slower, deeper breath and started to strum quickly.

_"Comin' out of my cage and I been doin' just fine, gotta-gotta be down because I want it all. Started out witha kiss, how did it end up like this? It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss. Now I'm falling asleep, and she's calling a cab, while he's having a smoke, and she's taking a drag. Now they're going to bed, and my stomach is sick, and it's all in my head, but she's touching his chest now, he takes off her dress now, let me go! And I just can't look, it's killing me, and taking control! Jealousy, turning saints into the sea, swimming through sick lullaby, choking on your allibi, but it's just the price I pay, destiny is calling me, open up my eager eyes! 'Cause I'm Mister Brightside!"_ He had slowly increased in volume, and by the end, he was almost yelling. He stopped strumming, panting, and put down his uke as his hands started to shake. 

Roman, Patton, and Logan all just stared at him in wonder for a moment, before Patton jumped up with a massive smile. 

"That was-"

"Amazing!" Roman interrupted quickly. " _Incredible!_ Did you write that?" Virgil nodded and Logan whirled around from his seat.

"You are absolutely _breathtaking,_ Virgil!" Virgil blushed deeply, and tried his best to mutter out his thanks. 

"This band? _Totally_ happening, Pat," Roman cheered. He turned back to Virgil. "Any chance you know guitar?" Virgil nodded again, and laughter filled the room. He was over run with this feeling that something, the right something, was definately starting here. And all he had to do was _play._ He was terrified, and wanted to run from the room and never look back. But at the same time, he never wanted to leave. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs in this chapter: Hard Times, by Paramore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEB6ibtdPZc), and Mr. Brightside, by The Killers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdGFtwCNBE)


	2. The Band Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil has his first band practice with the boys, but will it go as planned?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy, sorry for the long wait!

Virgil had been crying for about five minutes now. He couldn't _breathe,_ much less stop crying. He'd been hauled up on the bathroom floor for ten minutes, hands shaking, chest collapsing, eyes wide with fear, and tears. It was their first practive as a _band,_ his first time playing with anyone else _at all,_ and it was set to start- shit, right about now. That only made him panic _more._ He was terrified of a dozen different things, as usual, but he was mostly terrified of messing up in front of everyone. And he knew it was just friends, but it didn't help. 

He gripped his hair, pulling at it, hoping the pinch to his scalp would help shock him into calming down, but he found he couldn't stop that either. Suddenly, the bathroom door opened. He looked up to see Logan standing there, a concerned look on his face. He squatted down next to Virgil, holding his hands out in front of him in a calming mannor. 

"Virgil, are you alright?" 

"Do I look fucking _alright_ to you?!" Virgil shreiked. He clapped a hand over his mouth and shook his head furiously, a silent _I'm so sorry,_ and Logan hushed him gently.

"Can you follow my breathing, Virgil? _In,_ two, three, four, five, _hold,_ two, three, four, five, and _out,_ two, three, four, five." They repeated that a couple more times, and soon Virgil could breathe normally again. He slowly released his hair, and dropped his hand from his mouth. "Alright, can you stand?" Virgil nodded, and, after Logan stood, allowed the other boy to pull him to his side. "What was troubling you?" 

Virgil took a shaky breath, shook his hands out, and fought the urge to grip at his hair again. "I- I have anxiety, and this whole- _situation_ is not making it any better. I just feel like- like I'm gonna- m-mess it all up, o-or-" Logan grabbed Virgil's hands and squeezed them gently. 

"I understand," he promised, allowing Virgil to release the air in his throat. "You will not disappoint us Virgil. We are meerly practicing, and hold no faith to us being perfect, seeing as this is our first time playing together. We especially don't ask perfection of _you._ We know what you can do, and know that you are scared, and no one will be upset if you need a break, or 'mess up,' as you say." Virgil nodded and Logan squeezed his hands once more. "Are you alright to go now?" Virgil took a deep breath and nodded again, allowing Logan to lead him by one hand to the band room. 

"Virge!" Virgil lokked up to see Roman grinning like mad behind a drum set. "How's it going _Scary Poppins?"_ Virgil snorted weakly as Patton came out of a side room, carrying a bass guitar. 

"Hey, kiddo!" he cried, a big smile on his face. "You ready?" 

"Yeah," Virgil said softly. And the sight of their smiles made his stomach flutter with butterflies. He grabbed a guitar off of a near-by stand, and went into his backpack for his music. He gave everyone a copy and set his own up on a music stand next to a dead microphone Roman had found and presented to him excitedly. "Everyone good?" he asked. Roman twirled his drumsticks around in his fingers and flashed him a double thumbs-up. Logan cracked all his knucked, rolled and popped his wrists, and flicked his hands out over his keyboard, looking at him expectantly. Patton strummed the bass, looked up at the music, looked at it breifly, a massively confused look furrowing his brows before snorting quietly and flipping the music so it was right-side-up.Virgil laughed and situated his guiatr, plugging it into the amp, and clearing his throat. He closed his eyes, and nodded.

_"Do I look lonely? I see the shadows on my face. People have told me I don't look the same. Maybe I've lost weight, I'm playing hooky with the best of the best, put my heart on my chest, so that you can see it too. I'm walking long road, watching the sky fall. The lace in your dress tangles my neck, how do I live? The death of a bachelor, oh, letting the water fall. The death of a bachelor, oh, seems so fitting for happily ever after, oh! How could I ask for more? A lifetime of laughter at the expense of the death of a bachelor!"_

The song broke into a brief musical interlude, and Virgil hadn't realized it before, but this was _exactly_ what he'd imagined when he'd written the song. It sounded _perfect._ He smiled so wide it hurt his face, and giggled uncontrollably when the second verse came. 

"Vigil, that was your cue," Patton reminded him gently. Virgil nodde and burst into giggles again. 

"Sorry, sorry, just- this is exactly how I imagined it. This is- incredible is the right word I guess. Sorry." He took a breath to dull his smile, and resituated his fingers on the neck of the guitar. "From the chorus!" 

-/\\-/\\-/\\-

The next day, Virgil was on a high. Things were _working,_ and he couldn't be happier. And he had _friends,_ friends who didn't hate him or make him feel stupid for wanting to sing. He went to sit with them with his "homework" on a crumpled up sheet of paper. They'd all agreed to write down as many ideas as they could think of, and they'd all talk about it and hopefully come to agree on a band name sometime today. 

"Peter _Panic,_ you've come to join us at last!" Roman called out. Virgil grinned and came over to the table, sittiing next to the jock. Patton and Logan sat across from them, Patton munching on a cookie while tapping at a Tamagotchi, Logan tediously separating his peas from the rest of his plate. 

"You got one of those for everyday, Princey?" he snarked. Roman blushed, and Virgil felt his own cheeks heat up, clearing his throat a little. "I brought a, uh, list like you asked for," he recalled carefully. He smoothed it out against the table while Patton dug through his bag to pull out a piece of paper, folded up probably 8 times. He unfolded it to reveal a chicken-scratch-covered paper, all done in colorful glitter pens. Roman pulled a notebook out from under his chair, flipping through it to expose a page covered in doodles and fancy cursive, while Logan presented his immaculate paper, his impeccable handwriting filed into little columns. 

"Me first!" Patton exclaimed. He cleared his throat dramatically before putting on a proud smile. " _Sunny Disposition_!" Roman groaned while Virgil grimaced a little, shaking his head. Patton's smile dipped into a pout, and Virgil just wanted to scoop him up and never let him go. "I had to ask Logan for a better word than 'mood.' Do you guys really think it's stupid?" 

"It's not _stupid_ , Pat, just- not _our style_ , per say. I think it would be a fantastic song though," Roman offered. That lit Patton back up, and Roman tracked down his own list. "How about _Perfection_?" Virgil snorted, before trying to cover it with a cough. "Too much? Maybe _The Verge_ , ya know, since Virge is-"

"Absolutely not," Virgil interrupted. Roman nodded curtly. 

"Got it. How about-"

" _Solanum Lycopersicum_?" Logan suggested.

"Bless you," Patton said, grinning. Logan rolled his eyes.

"Okay, how about _The Intensity Factor_?" 

"Is that some physics term?" Roman asked. "I'm failing physics." 

"I can tutor you," Logan reminded him. 

"Back on track!" Patton cut in. "How about _Rainbow Destiny_?"

"That's not so bad!" Roman confessed, shrugging. 

"We'd sound like a gay cover band," Virgil contested. Roman shrugged again and Virgil laughed. "We can't do it if we aren't all gay, Princey, and you're pansexual." 

"So am I!" Patton exclaimed. Virgil caught his cheeks beating back up, and he ducked his head. 

"Well, I'm homoromantic asexual," Logan divulged. Virgil felt like his face was on fire. 

"So we're all a bunch of queers, we can reclaim it I guess? _The Queers_?" Virgil cracked. Roman burst into laughter, shaking his head and waving his hands. 

"Well I have one," Virgil declared. "How about _Rainy Sunday_?" The table went quiet for a minute. "I just- cause it's kinda ironic, I guess, and- I-I don't know- I'll just-"

"I _love_ it!" Patton sang. 

"I think it's quite analogous to our group," Logan approved.

" _Rainy Sunday_ ," Roman repeated, spreading his hands out wide, like he was envisioning the name in lights. "It's perfect, V," he proclaimed. They all smiled right at him, Roman with that smug, dashing show-smile, Patton with his proud toothy grin, and Logan with his shy smirk, and the butterflies swarmed in Virgil's stomach. 

"O-okay, cool," he agreed. "Rainy Sunday it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs in this chapter (none of them are mine dont sue me thx): Death of a Bachelor by Panic! at the Disco (https://youtu.be/R03cqGg40GU)


	3. Some Party News.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton has news that sends Virgil spiraling, will plans change?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 18 million years since my last update, but I have a laptop now. Comment for faster updates, but enjoy this angst :)

Rainy Sunday had been practicing everyday ever since they'd decided on a name for themselves. It was difficult, what with Logan's academic decathlon, mock trial, debate, and speech clubs, Patton's GSA, and Roman's play rehearsal and football practices, but they made it work. So far they'd had practice in a different place every day this week- the band room, the empty auditorium, the gym, and now Patton's garage. They'd all followed him to his house where his mothers were waiting with warm cookies and gentle hugs. 

Virgil's hands hadn't stopped shaking the whole time he'd talked to the women, and he had a hard time ignoring the door they might be listening through, but he eased up eventually. They were all taking a break when Patton came back in from the house, bag in hand. He crashed down next to the rest of them, picking up a cookie as he settled into an empty lawn chair, and started to unzip his back with a big smile.

"So, I might have a surprise, but you all have to promise to be excited!" he teased. Instantly Virgil felt his heart jump, no pun intended, and he clenched his fists to dig himself out of the hole he knew he'd be getting into the minute Patton spilled the beans,

"What did you do now?" Logan asked, like he'd dealt with Patton making bad decisions before. 

"Well you know the battle of the bands at the end of the year?" Roman groaned and fell back in his chair dramatically.

"You signed us up, didn't you?" he demanded. Patton's smile grew as he nodded, and he gasped when he rifled past a bright orange paper in his bag. 

"Yes! Isn't it great!" Logan shook his head tiredly.

"That's not all, is it?" he asked, pushing up his glasses. Patton shook his head.

"Nope, I got us invited to a party! And my friend Valerie told me we could play! We get to practice in front of a real crowd! Doesn't that sound fun!?" He clapped excitedly as he pulled out the orange paper, shaking out the creases unceremoniously. "Here, it's at JD's house-"

"JD?" Roman cut in. "You mean Janus? Janus Guile? We can't play for him! He's always trying to steal my roles! Plus, he's dating my brother, and Remus would _not_ want us crashing his boyfriend's party!"

Logan shook his head again, hand against his temple. "Plus, we don't have a set prepared. Or costumes. Or and branding on our instruments- do you just want me to tape a paper to Roman's bass drum with 'Rainy Sunday' on it and hope people know who we are?"

The other boys started to argue more, but Virgil just felt his breathing pick up, their voices slowly growing quieter. He squeezed his fists desperately, nails digging into his palms, but he felt them gravitating toward his hair, his left drifting in to start pulling at the strands. He couldn't preform! He could barely sing in front of his own band, his _friends,_ much less a crowd of kids from his school, _strangers!_ What if he messed up? What if his voice cracked or he forgot the words to his own songs, or- or- or-

He gasped, trying to get air into his lungs, curling around his ribs, pulling at his hair uselessly. 

Suddenly, he felt hands pulling at his own, soft and warm. 

"Virgil, can you here me?" a voice broke through. Who was that? "Virgil, you need to breathe with me, can you do that?" Logan. That was Logan, he remembered those words. He nodded best he could, but he couldn't tell if his head even moved. He focused on Logan's calm, steady voice, breathing how he was told until he could breathe on his own. Finally, the world came closer into focus. Logan was kneeling by his side, a concerned look on his face, while Patton was the one pulling at his hands, which were both now held in Patton's while the other boy stroked his thumbs against the backs of Virgil's hands. 

"You okay, amor?" Roman asked gently, watching from his seat. Virgil felt his face heat up as he nodded, and he swallowed nervously. 

"I-I should've told you guys- I'm sorry-"

"You have nothing to apologize for!" Patton cut in. "Anxiety isn't your fault, love. I never would've signed us up for anything if I'd have known." 

"I-i-it's okay, Pat, I- I'll be fine, I guess," he lied. "I just- I don't know if I can do that. Perform, I mean. I- I can barely do _this._ I'm gonna- I'm gonna m-mess up, I know it. And I don't want to ruin your guys's fun. I'm- I'm sorry, I-" Roman came over and put his hands on top of Virgil's. 

"Virge, we can get you through this. We won't do it, if you _really_ don't want to. But I think you can do it. I _know_ you can."

Virgil looked up, meeting each of the other boys in their eyes. He was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss them all, and his face felt flushed, but he nodded. He could _do this._ He _would do it,_ for these ridiculously _perfect_ boys who he would never ever actually date. He'd do it for his friends. 

Patton smiled real big, Roman laughed and clapped, and Logan grinned a little, patting Virgil's shoulder. That almost made up for the burning terror in his stomach. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No songs in this chapter, but the party is next- comment ideas for their set list!


	4. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the day of the party has come- and Virgil isn't doing so well. How will he get through this nightmare?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while lol. TW for a panic attack, and please remember: these aren't my songs, don't sue me, credit in the end notes. Enjoy! :)

Virgil couldn't fucking breathe. He'd spent all day in a mild panic attack, barely speaking, not eating, and scratching at the backs of his hands until they bled. He'd gotten home and helped Patton design the band logo, and sent it all to Roman to print out onto t-shirts and vinyl stickers for their instruments, and then he threw up twice. Thomas came into the bathroom right as he threw up a third time. 

"Virge, oh my god, are you okay?" Virgil sobbed and shook his head, coughing and gasping as tears ran down his cheeks. Thomas knelt down next to his little brother and patted his back gently, offering him a cup of water Virgil didn't even realize he had. Virgil swished his mouth out frantically and tried to grab onto Thomas's free hand. "What's going on?" 

"I-I- there's supposed to be a p-party tonight, a-a-and I have to play," he choked out. "I don't know if I _can."_ Thomas sighed.

"Virgil, you're incredible," he gently reminded the other boy. "You are incredible and you can _absolutely_ do this." Virgil sniffled a few times, then nodded. Thomas helped him up off the floor, and dragged him back to him room to help him get ready. 

-/\\-/\\-/\\-

Virgil's hands wouldn't stop shaking, but he was forcing himself to take long, drawn out breaths. He'd shown up to this party on time, which meant early, to help set up, only to find Logan there too, carefully applying a sticker onto the front side of his keyboard. 

"H-hey," Virgil croaked. He cleared his throat, embarrassed, as Logan looked back to him. 

"Oh, hello, Virgil," he greeted softly. "I have some stickers for your guitar, if you want to put them on. I have to do Roman's bass drum too, and Patton's bringing his bass- most likely covered in glitter, knowing him." He chuckled a bit at the last sentiment and held out stickers for Virgil to take. He sat down next to his _~~crush~~_ friend and started silently applying stickers to the body of his guitar. "You look nice, by the way," Logan offered. Virgil blushed- he'd put on his tightest skinny jeans, the ones that were all ripped up the thighs and splattered in bleach and paint, and thrown on a random black t-shirt, soon to be replaced with Roman's handiwork. 

"Th-thanks, I guess. Uh, you- you look nice too." Logan, dressed in tight jeans and a black button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and the buttons only done half-way up his chest, blushed too, and that sent a pang of pride through Virgil's chest. They were saved from further awkward conversation by Roman slamming through the front door with a box _full_ of t-shirts, wrist bands, and god-knows-what-else underneath. 

"Hello, my _future_ chemical romance," he yelled, waggling his eyebrows. Virgil felt his face get hotter and he smacked Roman's arm the minute he was within smacking range. He winced, but laughed as he set the box down. "Now, I made us all shirts, but somehow I doubt _Mr.Party-Pooper_ over here will wear his, so I made us wrist bands and bracelets too!" He threw a shirt at Virgil, and a thick bracelet at Logan, sticking his tongue out as he did. He was already wearing his shirt- it was bright red, _Rainy Sunday_ across the front so that it sort of looked like the Dr.Pepper logo, but he'd already made it all his own. He'd cut it from the shoulders almost all the way down to where the shirt now ended, right at his hips instead of likely mid thigh judging from it's bagginess on his frame. It exposed the sides of his rib cage and rode up a little bit with every move, which sent Virgil's heart fluttering, and, admittedly, made his pants just a touch tighter. 

"Now go change!" he cut into Virgil's thoughts. Virgil nodded and rushed to the bathroom, where he pulled on the black long-sleeve shirt that had slits running down the sleeves, exposing the outsides of his arms. He pushed them up to his elbows and tucked in the shirt a bot at the front, better laying out the silver band logo. He came back out and through his other shirt right at Roman's head. The other boy squawked loudly and balled it up, throwing it behind his drum set.

Other people had slowly started filtering in, grabbing drinks and talking while watching the band set up, and with the crowd growing larger, Virgil's anxiety grew too. His heart rate had probably never been this high, and the only reason he wasn't gasping and sobbing on the floor was because he was watching Patton slowly make his way up to them, his bass guitar covered in glittery stickers of their new band logo. 

"Hey, kiddos!" he squealed. He hugged each of them tightly, which ended up making Virgil's hands shake just a bit less, and started plugging in amps around their "stage"- four wooden pallets pushed into the corner of the room covered in a rug. They managed to piece everything together, and, as Logan plugged in the mics, Virgil excused himself to the bathroom. 

He jumped around a bit, shaking out his hands and taking deep breaths, every once in a while stopping to splash a bit of water in his face. There was a small knock at the door after almost ten minutes had gone by.

"Kiddo? You okay?" Patton called gently. When Virgil didn't answer, he let himself in to see Virgil sitting on the edge of the bathtub, scratching furiously at the back of his hand. Patton rushed to his side and grabbed both of Virgil's hands in his own. "What's going on, bud? Anxious about the show?" Virgil nodded stiffly and took another wracking breath. Patton nodded. "Virgil, you are absolutely _breathtaking._ You have an amazing voice, amazing songs, and an amazing smile." He snorted out a laugh and squeezed Virgil's hands harder. "You are the most incredible singer I know, Virge. You _got_ this, okay? I _believe_ in you." Virgil took one last deep breath and nodded, allowing Patton to guide him out, back to the stage. 

-/\\-/\\-/\\-

"Guys, Gals, Non-binary pals," a voice called out over their mics, "You know me- JD-" he paused when a group of idiots started cheering and chanting his name. "But, you don't know my boyfriend's brother- so here's Roman Ardient!" The crowd respectfully clapped as Roman climbed into view.

"Hey, guys! I'm Roman, and I'm the drummer for the new band performing tonight, Rainy Sunday!" The crowd cheered and Roman grinned. "As I said, I'm on drums, but I'm here to introduce the rest of us. On keys tonight, Logan Sagace!" The crowd clapped and a few cat-calls went out as he went to the keyboard. "On bass, Patton Heart!" Patton jumped on stage, smiling and waving, as the crowd clapped, a few sticking out- probably GSA friends. "And on lead guitar, and vocals, Virgil Sanders!" Virgil gripped his guitar tight and climbed up, nearly falling on his ass before Roman offered his hand. He waved out at his peers. "Now, we hope you enjoy, and let's get this party started!" The crowd cheered and Roman went back to his drum set, twirling around a pair of red glittery drumsticks. Virgil stepped up to the mic stand. 

"Alright, our first song of the night is gonna be-" he was cut off by a brief drum roll from Roman, that got a few people laughing- " _A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing_." Roman counted them off and Virgil felt like he was blasting off.

 _"_ _Beware, beware, be skeptical, of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold- deceit so natural- but a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning! 'Baa-baa-black sheep, have you any soul? No sir, by the way, what the hell are morals?' Jack, be nimble, Jack, be quick- Jill's a little whore and her alibis are dirty tricks- so could you tell me how you're sleeping easy, how you're only thinking of yourself. Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature. Listen, mark my words, one day- you will pay, you will pay- Karma's gonna come collect your debt!"_ He laughed wildly, nearly forgetting he was in a room full of practical strangers. He started on the second verse before he could lose his nerve. _"_ _Aware, aware, you stalk your prey- with criminal mentality- you sink your teeth into the people you depend on, infecting everyone, you're quite the problem! Fee-fi-fo-fum, you better run and hide! I smell the blood of a petty little coward! Jack, be lethal, Jack, be slick- Jill will leave you lonely dying in a filthy ditch! So could you tell me how you're sleeping easy, how you're only thinking of yourself. Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature. Listen, mark my words, one day- you will pay, you will pay-Karma's gonna come collect your debt!"_ He slowed things down and took a breath before dipping into the coda.

 _"_ _Maybe you'll change- abandon all your wicked ways, make amends and start anew again. Maybe you'll see all the wrongs you did to me and start all over, start all over again!"_ His backup cut out and he leaned in close, grabbing the mic and dropping his guitar quickly. _"Who am I kidding- Now, let's not get overzealous here-You've always been a huge piece of shit! If I could kill you I would, but it's frowned upon in all fifty states- Having said that, burn in hell!"_ He took the note and ran as Roman slammed back into playing, Virgil's hands running over chord's like they were made to make those movements. _"So tell me how you're sleeping easy, how you're only thinking of yourself. Show me how you justify telling all your lies like second nature. Listen, mark my words, one day- you will pay, you will pay-Karma's gonna come collect your debt! Karma's gonna come collect your debt! Karma's gonna come collect your debt!"_ He leaned close for the last note, dropping his guitar for effect, and the crowd went wild. He breathed heavily, shaking out his hands, and laughed. 

"Thank You! We're gonna take a quick break, but we'll be right back!" The crowd cheered again and Virgil felt like he was glowing. He found himself dying to play their next piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! As always, it's not my song, I'm not taking credit for it! The song in this chapter is A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing ft. William Beckett by Set It Off, my favorite band! Here's the link for the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwyAkd5oOG4&list=PLS3oBLiqf061eAGXeKByKGGVRRvpE6fWa&index=7 and comment ideas for their next song!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and let me know if you want me to continue.


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